EP0959860A1

EP0959860A1 - Accessory for supporting a wheelchair in a stable reclined position

Info

Publication number: EP0959860A1
Application number: EP96932628A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Robert Benoit
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-09-21
Filing date: 1996-09-20
Publication date: 1999-12-01
Also published as: US6099021A; AU7133996A; FR2739019A1; FR2739019B1; WO1997010791A1

Abstract

An accessory is provided for supporting a four-wheeled wheelchair in a stable position in which it is tilted backwards and thus enables a disabled user to assume a relaxing recumbent posture. The accessory comprises a swing leg (3) that swings freely in the vertical plane of symmetry passing through the longitudinal axis of the wheelchair about a perpendicular and horizontal pivot rod (4) substantially located at the top of the back rest (9) between the two side frame posts that support said back rest (9), by means of rapid or permanent fastening means (5, 6, 7, 8). The lower portion of said swing leg (3) advantageously has an adjustable length and is provided with a stabiliser foot (10).

Description

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSORY FOR HOLDING IT IN

A STABLE RELAXATION POSITION.

The invention relates to additional or accessory equipment for a four-wheeled wheelchair intended to maintain it in a stable rear tilt position in order to offer the disabled user a position of relaxation.

We already know the classic four-wheeled wheelchair, whose two rear wheels are used for generally manual propulsion, and the front wheels for stability and direction of the whole. Such a chair is the essential tool for people who do not have or no longer have the use of their legs; under these conditions, the chair is intended not only to assist with movement, but also to provide the most comfortable sitting position possible. In this last function of seat, the armchair must allow all the acts of the daily life of the handicapped person, that is to say take his meals, work, read, write, watch television,

Until now, such armchairs had never been studied to allow the relaxation and the rest which able-bodied people easily find thanks to the armchairs of living room, sofas, couches or the like; It is true that this relaxation function is very generally incompatible with the requirements linked to travel such as lightness, maneuverability, ease of folding or dismantling, solidity and reduced overall dimensions, and we notice most of the time that disabled people do not 'have no access to relaxation positions, forced to continuously use the sitting position during the day.

To date, no device is known which can easily be fitted to conventional wheelchairs to provide this relaxation function to its user. It is precisely the object of the present invention to provide additional equipment for a four-wheeled wheelchair intended to keep it in position. stable rear tilt suitable for the relaxation of the disabled user characterized by a pendulum stand that can oscillate freely in the vertical plane of symmetry passing through the longitudinal axis of the chair along a perpendicular axis of horizontal oscillation, substantially located at height the upper end of the backrest between the two lateral uprights of the chassis supporting said backrest, held by means of rapid or final fixing, said pendulum stand, of advantageously adjustable length, being provided in its lower part with a stabilizing foot.

According to the invention, the stabilizing foot, generally in the shape of an inverted T, is fixed to the end of the pendulum crutch so that the height of the crutch / leg assembly is adjustable and the horizontal base of the inverted T is normally in the longitudinal axis of the chair to form an optimal ground support surface in cooperation with the two supports of the rear wheels of the chair, when the latter is in the relaxed position.

Of course, according to a particularly advantageous variant of the invention, provision is made for having a headrest mounted and fixed on the axis of oscillation of the crutch by fixing means allowing angular adjustments around said axis to constitute the extension. of the backrest when it is tilted in the relaxation position or to facilitate the folding of the chair into the transport position.

Consequently, such a device has the main characteristics:

- To adapt to all existing wheelchairs thanks to small adapters permanently installed on the side uprights of the chair supporting the handles, or thanks to simple machining operations directly provided on the same uprights.

- To land very quickly on the chair equipped with the preceding adapters by the user himself insofar as he has retained his freedom of movement; in otherwise, he will easily have recourse to a third person, without any particular qualification.

- To allow, beyond the installation of the equipment on the chair, normal and usual use of said chair.

- To offer an adjustable position of relaxation by tilting the chair backwards, as will be said later; of course, the equipment includes all the adjustments necessary to adapt to all user morphologies.

- To guarantee absolute safety in tilting operations, as well as during periods of use in the relaxed position.

- To allow a return to the normal position of the chair on four wheels, quickly and safely.

- To be used on all soils, including on uneven ground.

- To be folded up for transport or storage under the volume usually provided by armchair manufacturers.

Other characteristics will emerge more clearly from the description which will be given below of a particular and preferred, although not limiting, variant of the equipment according to the invention, with reference to the appended drawing in which:

- Figure 1 schematically shows an elevational view of a four-wheeled wheelchair provided with the equipment according to the invention; the wheelchair being in the normal operating position.

- Figure 2 shows in a schematic view identical to the previous one, an intermediate step for tilting the chair with its accessory according to the invention, towards a relaxation position. - Figure 3 shows a schematic view identical to the previous ones, here showing the chair in its final position of relaxation.

- Figure 4 shows a top view of the supports on the floor of the chair fitted with the equipment according to the invention in the final relaxation position determining the usable lift triangle.

- Figure 5 is a schematic elevational view of the equipped chair, in the intermediate position back to its normal operating position.

- Figure 6 is a view identical to the previous one, an instant later, in the tilting movement forward, before the complete recovery of the equipped chair.

- Figure 7 shows in perspective the equipment according to the invention; the upper part of the chair on which the equipment according to the invention is fitted is shown in thin dashed lines. - Figure 8 is a partial sectional view of an adapter for mounting the equipment on the part of the side uprights of the chassis receiving the handles.

In accordance with FIG. 7, the equipment 1 capable of being easily attached to a conventional wheelchair 2 in order to provide the disabled user with an additional relaxation function consists of a pendulum crutch 3 which can oscillate in the vertical plane of symmetry of the chair 2 along a horizontal axis of oscillation 4 provided, at each of its ends, with axes 5 which can move axially thanks to a vertical radial control 6 cooperating with a spring 7 keeping the axes 5 at rest in the extended position . For the mounting of the axis of oscillation 4 on the lateral uprights 20 of the chair 2, provision has been made for adapter elements 8 fixed using conventional clamping systems on the tubes of the lateral uprights 20; the adapters 8 are provided with a horizontal bore 81 to receive the axis 5 of the equipment 1 previously put in place by means of two lower stops 82 supporting all the equipment 2 just before the introduction of the axes 5 into the bores 81; of course, disassembly is simply carried out by releasing the axes 5 of the bores 81 by means of the control 6 allowing, by compression of the spring 7, to release the axis 5 from the bore 81.

The pendulum stand 3 fixed to the horizontal oscillation axis 4 by any known means, for example by welding, extends downward over a length roughly equivalent to the height of a conventional backrest 9 of an armchair 2. This stand 3 will advantageously be made from a tube whose mechanical characteristics will be calculated in the usual way by a person skilled in the art to support the vertical loads resulting from the particular position of the user in the chair in the relaxed position. .

At the end of the stand 3 is attached a stabilizing foot 10 advantageously made of a tube having the general shape of an inverted T, obtained from a material and according to dimensions in relation to the forces transmitted by the stand 3 such that it has been indicated before. The vertical part 11 of the foot 10 is fitted into the free end of the stand 3, thus making it possible to adjust the total length from the axis of oscillation 4 to the lower part of the foot 10 intended as shown. 'saw to rest on the ground by its horizontal part 12 which, after mounting on the stand 3 should be such that it is in the vertical plane of symmetry of the wheelchair 2.

The foot 10 will be secured at the desired height with the stand 3 by means of successive transverse bores made along the vertical part 11 of the foot 10 and all along the stand 3, these bores will be brought into concordance before receiving a removable locking key device as an example is given in enlargement in FIG. 7. Such a locking key is perfectly known to those skilled in the art who will easily adapt it to the present case.

The stabilizing foot 10, in its active horizontal part, consists of a first central section 12 secured substantially in its middle to the part vertical 11 of foot 10; it will be noted that in principle the angle between the vertical part 11 and the horizontal part 12 of the leg 10 is equal to 90 ° but it is understood that an angular adjustment, by an adequate fixing could be provided in order to further perfect the operation of the equipment as will be said later.

At the end 121 of the central part 12 of the foot 10 coming under the seat of the wheelchair, a rigid rod 13 can be fitted which is capable of sliding inside the part 12 and of being held there in a completely fixed manner thanks to a removable locking key system 122 similar to that already mentioned in the vertical part 11. The free part of the rod 13 is provided with an anti-slip device 14 such as a rubber pad extending over a few centimeters at below the rod towards the ground, and coming to cover the end of the rod 13 to constitute, as will be seen below, a center of rotation (see reference P in FIG. 7) of the equipment 1 during the repositioning normal chair after a station in the relaxation position.

At the other end 123 of the central part 12 of the leg 10 extending outside, that is to say towards the rear of the chair 2, is fitted a rod 15 of the same type as the internal rod 13 comprising at its free end at least one roller 16 facilitating as will be said later, the establishment of the foot 10 perfectly resting on the ground when seeking the position of relaxation by rear tilting of the chair 2; of course here, the length of the external horizontal arm of the foot 10 is adjustable in the same way as for the other arms of the T forming the foot 10.

Intended to provide maximum comfort to the user who, using the equipment 1 as just described has positioned himself in relaxation, a headrest 17 usefully extends the support surface of the backrest 9 to comfortably receive the neck and the head of the user.

To this end, the headrest 17 is, according to a particular and non-limiting variant of the invention, consisting of a support plate 170 made of all usual materials, having regard to the particular materials in question; this plate 170 is fixed from the horizontal oscillation axis 4 supporting the stand 3 as we have seen; the fixing of the plate 170 is such that it allows its angular adjustment along the same axis of oscillation 4 by means of devices 18 perfectly known to those skilled in the art which will therefore not be detailed in this description. The inclination of the plate 170 is carried out in such a way that the user receives the maximum comfort when he is in the relaxed position, seat overturned on his crutch in accordance with the invention; it will be observed that when the same stand is in the rest position, that is to say that the seat is in the operating position with four wheels, the adjustment of the headrest 17 as indicated above, leads to move the support plate 170 far enough away from the head of the user in a seated position, which has the happy consequence of not causing him any discomfort in his usual and daily movements; the angular adjustment of the plate 170 on the axis 4 is, in principle, only made at the time of the first mounting of the equipment 1 on the wheelchair 2; however, the user may, if necessary, adjust it to his liking, including when traveling, or in the sitting position.

The headrest 17 is also advantageously provided with a cushion 19 in order to provide additional comfort to the user.

The cushion 19 is made of foam with a thickness of 1 to 2 cm, along a width equal to that of the support plate 170; according to a quite simple variant of the cushion 19, it can be attached either by straps, or by any fixing well known to those skilled in the art, such as VELCRO bands (registered trade mark).

According to an advantageous and preferred variant of the invention, the cushion 19 is produced in such a way that, rolled up on itself, it has a general form of "diabolo", that is to say a form of hyperboloid of revolution, simply obtained by reinforcing the thickness of the foam on the edges of the rolled up cushion.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, in which the dynamic operation of the complementary equipment 1 to the wheelchair 2 intended to give it a new relaxation function has been shown diagrammatically, the successive steps for placing the wheelchair will be described below from a conventional position on four wheels (Figure 1) to an inclined position of relaxation (Figure 3). We will then describe the reverse movement moving the chair from its relaxation position (Figure 3) until returning to the classic position on four wheels (Figure 1).

In accordance with FIG. 1, the armchair 2 provided with its additional equipment 1 is in the "four wheel" position allowing it to evolve conventionally; the additional equipment 1 does not interfere in any way with this development insofar as the stabilizing foot 10 is largely masked by the seat of the chair and by the rear overflow of the large wheels 21 of the chair 2; in addition, it will be seen later that the headrest 17 which has an inclination adjusted as it was said before is largely folded back, so that it does not interfere with the user in his daily activities.

When said user wishes to put himself in a relaxation position as finally shown in FIG. 3, he will have to tilt the chair 2 backwards according to the arrows d2 and f2 of FIG. 2. To do this, he can either be assisted by a third person either use the technique that is well known to wheelchair users to pass obstacles thanks to an appropriate action on the handrails 22 of the large wheels 21. When tilting the wheelchair, the stabilizing foot 10 is slightly inclined towards the rear and begins to oscillate by gravity until it touches the ground by its extreme rear part fitted with a set of rollers 16 (movement shown by arrow b2 in FIG. 2); at this time there, in oscillation b2, of the crutch 3 continues to approach the vertical, this movement being made possible thanks to the set of rollers 16 in contact with the ground, and this, until in the movement p2 the non-slip pad 14 ends up reaching the ground itself, creating, in accordance with FIG. 3, a stable tilting position for the chair 2.

It will be noted that the chair 2 in its position in FIG. 3 determines on the ground a lift surface S delimited by the two supports of the large wheels 21 on the one hand, and by the rollers 16 on the other hand. The lifting triangle S, shown in FIG. 4, is such that the projection of the center of gravity of the user in the relaxed position on his chair 2 always remains in the surface S whatever the predictable positions of said user in this particular position. of relaxation.

Conversely, to find the normal position with "four wheels", the user has two possible solutions, a third consisting of course in having recourse to a third person, who is naturally irrelevant for the present discussion:

- A first solution therefore consists in giving a strong impulse to the rear by the handrails 22 which has the immediate effect of tilting the chair forward, bringing back without any intermediate step, the complementary assembly in a vertical rest position as shown in figure 1.

- A second solution consists for the user in advancing the chair 2 using the handrails 22, in accordance with FIGS. 5 and 6 showing the successive stages of the recovery of the normal position. During the advancement of the chair 2, in the direction of the arrow a5 in FIG. 5, the inner part of the foot stabilizer 10, equipped with non-slip pad 14 arches on the ground from a fixed point P around which an upward rotation of the foot 10 takes place in accordance with the arrow p5 of FIG. 5 with the effect of straighten the file 9 by the same value following a movement d5 in FIG. 5; this movement of the backrest 9 in turn causing the chair 2 to tilt forwards, in accordance with the movement identified f5 in FIG. 5, bringing the front rollers 23 gradually but irretrievably down to the ground.

In accordance with the final step shown in Figure 6 of the return to the "four wheel" position of the chair 2 we see that the fixed point P allowing the rotation of the file identified d6 in Figure 6, ends up losing its support on the ground and in since the chair continues to be advanced (movement identified a6 in FIG. 6), foot 10 detaches from the ground and returns with a pendulum movement b6 / p6 in the "four wheel" position, this movement following f6 brings the rollers 23 on the ground. Finally, it is useful to note that all the adjustment possibilities which have been mentioned in the description provide the user with all the possibilities of adapting the equipment 1 complementary to the width of his chair, to the depth of the adapters fixed on the handles, to ensure the continuity of the seat between the backrest 9 and the support plate 17 or even to define the inclination of the chair 2 in the inclination position; Similarly, it will undoubtedly be useful for optimal security, to adjust the horizontal position step by step as well as the set of rear rollers 16 and the front non-slip pad 14.

It is understood that the additional equipment which has just been described, is particularly suitable for providing wheelchair users with a function which they have not previously known, namely a relaxation function, however such device could be quite suitable for creating a kickstand support for any tilting device mounted on wheels.

Claims

1 - Complementary equipment for a "four wheel" wheelchair intended to maintain it in a stable rear tilt position suitable for the relaxation of the disabled user characterized by a pendulum stand (3) which can oscillate freely in the passing vertical plane of symmetry by the longitudinal axis of the chair along an axis (4) of perpendicular and horizontal oscillation substantially situated at the height of the upper end of the backrest (9), between the two lateral uprights of the frame supporting said backrest (9) by means fast fixing (5,6,7,8) or definitive, said pendulum stand (3) in the lower part, of advantageously adjustable length, being provided with a stabilizing foot (10).

2 - Equipment according to the preceding claim characterized in that it comprises a headrest (17) mounted and fixed on the axis of oscillation (4) of the stand (3) by fixing means (18) allowing its angular adjustment around said axis (4) to be aligned in the extension of the backrest (9) when the latter is tilted in the relaxation position or to facilitate the folding of the chair into the transport position. 3 - Equipment according to any one of claims 1 or 2 characterized in that the stabilizing foot (10), in the general shape of an inverted T, is fixed to the end of the pendulum stand (3) so that the height of the stand / leg assembly is adjustable and that the horizontal bar (12) of the overturned T is generally in the longitudinal axis of the chair (2) to form an optimal support surface (5) on the ground in cooperation with the two support of the large wheels (21) of the chair (2) when the latter is in the relaxed position.

4 - Equipment according to claim 3 characterized in that the inner end of the horizontal bar (12) of the inverted T forming the foot (10) comprises a non-slip member, such as a pad rubber (14), arranged so as to oppose the horizontal displacement of said foot (10) when the chair (2) moves forward and to constitute a pivot center P of the whole of the equipment (1) in the plane of vertical symmetry of the chair (2).

5 - Equipment according to any one of claims 3 or 4 characterized in that the outer end of the horizontal bar (12) of the inverted T forming the foot (10) is provided with at least one vertical roller (16) d axis perpendicular to said horizontal bar (12) of the foot (10), or of a similar means, to facilitate the complete putting on the ground of the bar (12) at the time of the rear tilting of the chair (2) which generates a recoil stand (3). 6 - Equipment according to any one of claims 3, 4 or 5 characterized in that the means (121,122,123) are provided for adjusting the lengths of the inner and outer arms of the horizontal bar (12) of the inverted T forming the stabilizing foot ( 10).

7 - Equipment according to the preceding claim characterized in that the stand (3) and the stabilizing foot (10) are slidably mounted to allow a longitudinal adjustment and joined longitudinally and in rotation by a means such as a removable locking key ( 122).

8 - Equipment according to the preceding claim characterized in that the horizontal axis of oscillation (4) of the stand (3) is fixed to the two lateral uprights (21) of the chassis by means of two inserts (8) each comprising a bore (81) in which are housed two axes (5) with radial control (6) mounted at the ends of the axis of oscillation (4) in which, said axes (5) they can be moved axially while being normally recalled outwards by a spring (7).

9 - Equipment according to any one of claims 2 to 8 characterized in that the rest head (17) comprises a support plate (170) shaped to receive a comfort pad (19) for the rest of the neck and the head of the user in the relaxed position. 10 - Equipment according to claim 9 characterized in that the comfort pad is a cushion (19) held by elastic straps and formed of a flexible material such as foam whose thickness can be constant or advantageously increase laterally so that completely or partially wound on itself, the cushion (19) has a general form of "diabolo".